Of Bioweapons and Hallways
by Lifeart
Summary: While on a mission to retrieve a stolen bioweapon, a member of the team finds himself from a tight spot. Sometimes darkness could be a friend, sometimes not so much. Warnings: Violence and bad language
1. Chapter 1

"Jack, no!" Bozer stormed into the living room and went to stand in front of Jack, who was reaching for the remote control that lay on the table just out of his reach. The younger man crossed his arms and gave Jack a glare. "What did I tell you about watching TV?"

Jack glared right back at Bozer but didn't cross his arms like he had wanted since his left hand was in a cast and it was aching. "I'm gonna pry that remote control out of your cold, dead fingers if that's what it takes. You can't stop me from watching TV," he stated, his voice dark.

Bozer didn't look impressed. "Wanna bet? Last time you tried to get up from that sofa without a warning, you ended up half unconscious on the floor," he retorted. "The doctor's orders were clear, you're not going to spend time watching any kind of LCD screen for the next few days while you recover."

The older man huffed and slumped back down onto the sofa. "I have had my fair share of concussions and I do, in fact, know how they're treated. I have watched TV before so what makes this time any different?"

"I would say he's been ignoring the order every other time, too," Riley piped in as she came into the living room. Jack made a face at her but she promptly ignored him. "And, by watching TV, you would only succeed at making your headache worse, and waking Mac up. You know how little sleep he's been getting these past few days."

"Yeah, I know," Jack sighed, the look in his eyes softening as he glanced at the other sofa where a certain blond was buried under what looked like four blankets. "But when I get bored and start makin' your life a living hell, I'm not gonna be held responsible."

"Whatever you say, Jack," Bozer rolled his eyes before turning around and grabbing the remote. "I'm hiding this from you in case you still decide to ignore the doctor's orders. Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"Great," Jack mumbled as he stared at the ceiling. It wasn't like he was that nauseous or lightheaded anymore. It had been three days since he had tried to foolishly stand up quickly and ended up sprawled on the floor. He had learned from his mistake. He had also taken the prescribed meds as told and could mostly keep his food down. Mac was the one he was more worried about.

"You should rest, too," Riley pointed out as she sat on the sofa at Jack's feet. The older agent could tell she was still worried about Mac and him but he couldn't really blame her. Mac and he had caused the two other members of the team quite the scare just six days prior when their mission had gone a little sideways.

* * *

 **Six days ago**

"The perimeter's clear. The guards are all taken care of," Jack informed the rest of the team as he finished tying up the last of the five guards that had been spread around the yard not long ago.

These were the kinds of missions he liked more. He could do what he did best, keep the others safe by making sure the hostiles weren't in any condition to cause trouble while the others dealt with the technical aspect of the job. He wasn't so much about missions that put them out in the open where there were million things to be constantly aware of.

"Okay, the security cameras have been taken care of as well," Riley stated a while after him. She was sitting in a van that they had hidden down the street, away from prying eyes and the house - although the layout of the building suggested it was entirely something else since there were two laboratories in the building. After typing on her laptop for a minute or so, she spoke up again, "Bozer, I'm sending you the lock combination. You'll have exactly ten minutes to get in and out of the lab."

"If they catch me, they won't shoot me, right?" Bozer thought aloud, "Getting shot while retrieving a bioweapon that could be used to destroy half of New York is not on my bucket list."

"So don't get caught or shot," Jack helpfully quipped. "Mac, you ready, bud?"

A moment of silence followed as the three waited for the blond agent's response. The younger man had made his way to a smaller side building where the main office should be."Yeah, just give me a sec. These air vents are definitely smaller that I had been hoping for," Mac's huff sounded through their comm system. He sounded a little out of breath. The three members of the team listened to him shuffling and grunting for another minute before the sounds stopped. "Alright, I'm in position. As soon as you cut the power from the building, I'm gonna find the file and I'll be out in fifteen minutes, tops."

It took a bit longer than Riley had expected but not even a minute later she had shut the power. "You're good to go, Mac."

Bozer had gotten into the lab without any problems and was doing a quick job of safely obtaining the bioweapon. He had been quite nervous of the mission, to be honest. It certainly wasn't his first time in the field with the others but it was the first time he had been given a part this important. It wasn't like he had handled bioweapons or any kinds of mass destruction weapons before.

If anything went wrong, he would be on his own. Jack would probably come to his aid if he really got in trouble but the older man wasn't even close to his position.

"Bozer, you have three minutes," Riley reminded him of the time like she had dutifully done since he had first entered the lab. "I suggest you hurry up because you do not want to be around when the guards find out there's an intruder in their lab."

"Thanks but you don't have to remind me," the young man said as he carefully placed the bioweapon into a small case that had been designed to keep it safe and stable during transport. "It's kind of hard to forget about time when you're handling a dangerous weapon that could kill millions of people."

"Guys, less chatter, more work. We're not out of the woods yet," Jack spoke up, interrupting their conversation. "I see an increase in movements behind the windows so keep your eyes out. We don't wanna be taken by surprise at any point."

"Shutting up now, Jack," Bozer smirked. "I got the weapon and I'll be out of here in a minute."

He stepped out of the lab a moment later like he had said. As he crept along the hallway, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he got caught. It seemed like Mac and Jack got themselves in trouble a lot but also got out of tough spots quite easily. Would he be able to make a clean and easy escape if that happened or would the more seasoned agents need to help him get away? Bozer didn't really want to find out but he liked to believe he was more like Mac and Jack.

"Your six minutes are up, Bozer," Riley informed him soon.

The young man hummed. "I'm on my way out. Just a couple of more turns and I'll be at the door," he told her. It had been challenging to memorize the layout of the building in just a few hours but it was paying off.

Suddenly alarms sounded throughout the building.

"Uh oh," Bozer stopped and looked around the hallway to see if there was anything that could have set off the alarm.

"Uh oh?" Jack exclaimed. "What's going on in there, Boze?"

"The alarm system just went off," Riley spoke up before Bozer even got his mouth open. "Bozer didn't do anything, it was triggered from the building Mac's in."

"Mac's building?" Bozer's eyes widened as he started hastily making his way to the door. He could hear footsteps coming toward him and he didn't plan to be around to find out who was after him. "Is Mac in trouble?"

"Riley, do you have eyes on Mac?" Jack demanded a split second later.

"No, the building is still dark," Riley told him, "And I can't get in contact with him. His earpiece might have been damaged."

"That's it, I'm going in!" Jack stated and left no room for arguments. "Bozer, run straight to the van when you get out and get out of here with Riley. I'll contact you when Mac and I are out."

* * *

Almost immediately after dropping out of the vents, there was interference in the comms. At first Mac tried to adjust the earpiece and moving further away from the spot he had landed to but when it didn't help, he gave up. He hoped the interference was caused by his location and would clear when he left the room. If not, well, he would just have to rely on his instincts a bit more.

This definitely wasn't the first time something prevented them from communicating with each other and like every time that happened, Mac would deal with it and do his job like always.

Mac set to work soon, knowing Bozer and Riley would be alright with Jack watching over them. The room he had dropped to was a storage room of some sort, which suited him fine. He took a flashlight out of his pocket and started making his way to the door. If their source was right, he was only three doors away from the office that should have the information they were looking for.

Mac pressed his ear against the door in an attempt to hear if there was anyone outside the room in the hallway. When he deemed the hallway safe, he carefully opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. The darkness didn't bother him much because he knew how to take advantage of it during missions but there was one thing he wasn't too comfortable with: the flashlight. Yeah, it was nice not to be bumping into every little obstacle on the way and the light made it easy to find the right room but it also made it easier for the bad guys to spot him.

There was a safe in the far right corner of the room and it was the only thing he was interested in. According to their intel, the safe would contain all the information they needed to put the crew responsible for the theft of the bioweapon behind the bars.

As Mac approached the safe, he dug a cloth covered item from his pocket. Removing the cloth revealed a relatively big rare-earth magnet. It would be his only chance at getting the safe open since it would only take a couple of minutes for the guards to figure out the blackout wasn't a coincidence.

In five minutes he had gotten the information he needed and was on his way out. Mac stepped out of the office and took a deep breath. So far so good. He shone the flashlight toward the direction he had come from but was distracted by the sound of a gun being cocked. He spun around and shone the light toward the sound and saw four men staring at him. A few of them looked quite puzzled to be honest but the agent didn't pay attention to that for long. He turned off the flashlight, which plunged the hallway into complete darkness.

"Get him!" one of the men shouted sharply.

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

The shout was enough to get the men moving. Two of them lunged blindly in Mac's general direction while the other two took a more careful approach, taking out their own flashlights and reaching for their guns.

The first man reached the blond quicker than he had expected but Mac wasn't stunned for long. The man tried to pin him against a wall but Mac managed to slip from his grasp and hooked his right foot around the man's feet and brought him down with a shove.

Before he could do anything else, someone triggered the alarm.

Mac let out a curse. He needed to get out, fast. The place would, without a doubt, be swarming with more guards soon. As he tried to make a run for it, the guy on the floor managed to get a hold of his ankle and pull him down. A yelp emitted from the agent as he fell. A flashlight was shone at him and he could see the outline of a man reaching to grab him. Mac rolled to the side, away from the men and scrambled to his feet.

The men were anticipating it. Two pairs of strong arms tightened around his biceps and he was pinned against a wall. The blond tried to pull himself free but to no avail. A light was shone straight at his eyes which blinded him momentarily. When his eyes got somewhat adjusted to the light, he could see the outlines of six men. Damn it, there were more men than he had expected.

"Huh, who knew someone would be stupid enough to break in here," a snicker could be heard.

"Shut up, Matthews. Search him and find out what he came here for," a gruff voice stated sharply only seconds later.

Mac braced himself when he saw one of the men - Matthews? - step directly in front of him. As the guy tried to start searching him, Mac kicked his feet off the ground and shoved the man back. The guy yelped and took down at least two other guys as he fell.

"Not a smart thing to do!" the one man who hadn't fallen with the others growled. "I'm gonna make you regret that."

Mac started tugging his arms free when the man began approaching him but it didn't help him much. He let out a gasp when the two men holding him only tightened their grips. There were going to be hand-shaped bruises on his arms later, he was sure of it.

The first punch landed on his jaw, and whipped his head to the side. Before Mac had any chance to recover, the man drove his fist into his midsection and immediately after that, to his temple. At this point the two guards released the agent, only for him to fall on his knees.

Mac tried to dug to the side but a boot landed on his back, which sent him sprawling on his stomach. A pained cry escaped his lips when a steel-toed boot connected with his side. His body reacted by rolling away from the man but it seemed like the men had him surrounded. Two kick's landed on his stomach before he could curl in a fetal position to protect his midsection from new hits. One of the men then stomped on his side, hard. A scream of pure agony left Mac when he felt at least two of his ribs break. The men looked to enjoy seeing him on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Not so cocky anymore, are ya? Tell me, how does it feel?" one of the men snickered before a foot nudged Mac's injured side, forcing him to roll on his back and uncurl himself.

"Screw...you," Mac wheezed as he tried to lift himself up. As soon as he somewhat got on his knees, one of the men - presumably the one who had taunted him - pistol-whipped him, sending him back to the ground. The force of the hit caused for Mac's vision to darken around the edges.

"I'm gonna ask you nicely to step away from my partner before I start shooting," a very familiar voice spoke up somewhere further down the hallway. "I'm not gonna ask twice."

"Jack?"

"There's six of us. What makes you think we would do as you say?" one of the guards challenged the former Delta.

Two gunshots rang out and three bodies hit the floor.

The hallway was silent for a moment but then the silence was broken by an angry yell that was soon followed by a pained shout.

"Jack!" Mac yelled. Adrenaline surged through him which dulled the pain enough for him to lunge at the man closest to him. He knew it probably wasn't the wisest idea but he had to do something. He couldn't let Jack fight alone. One of the flashlights on the ground was shining right into Jack's direction and Mac managed to catch a glimpse of him fighting against one of the guards.

* * *

When Jack had gotten to Mac's position and found him lying on the floor with the guards surrounding him, his heart had almost stopped beating. He had been expecting to run into something he wouldn't like but at first he had thought the worst of the situation. Then he had, however, heard Mac curse at the man which had gotten him moving again.

After taking the two shots, he had hoped the men would let them get away without much trouble. That dream was thrown out of the window when a guard snuck up behind him.

Jack growled when he dropped his gun in the midst of the fight. The man tried to wrap his arms around the agent from behind but Jack was quicker and elbowed the man. There was a satisfying crunch when his elbow connected with the man's nose. When the man wasted time in cursing him, Jack spun around and hooked his arm behind the man's neck and introduced his knee to the man's face. The man was out like a light before he hit the floor.

He turned around just in time to see someone ram into Mac's side. The cry of pain that left Mac's lips made Jack freeze for a moment. "Mac!" he shouted. As took a step towards the fight, something hard hit the back of his head which caused him to lose his balance and fall to his knees. He reached his left hand out to grab his attacker but the man was one step ahead of him. The guy grabbed his arm in a tight hold and swiftly forced his arm down at the same time he brought his knee up.

Jack shouted in pain when he felt a bone in his arm snap. The man let go of his arm and kicked him to the chest. Jack fell on his back with a muffled groan.

"Pathetic," the man above him huffed, "I'll let the boss deal with you." With that he delivered a kick to Jack's head. He didn't see Jack's hand reach for the weapon on the floor. When the man prepared to kick him again, Jack grabbed the gun and took the shot.

Silence engulfed the hallway when the final sounds of the fight died down.

Mac's breath hitched as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. "Jack?" he questioned quietly as he wrapped his left arm carefully around his midsection. As he struggled to get to his feet, he could barely keep himself from crying out in pain. He was sure he had broken more of his ribs when he had fought against the two of the remaining guards.

"You okay, kid?" Hearing Jack's voice let the younger agent breathe a little more easily but the way the words slurred slightly worried him.

Mac stumbled toward Jack and when he finally found him sitting against a wall in the darkness, he carefully lowered himself to his knees next to him. "Jack?" When he didn't get an answer straight away, panic dwelled inside of him. "Jack, say something!"

"Not so loud," the older man moaned and while he did sound a little incoherent, it was better than nothing.

Mac hissed when he moved the wrong way as he scooted a bit closer to his partner. "Jack, did you get hit in the head?"

"Mhmm...kicked?"

That didn't sound good. "Kicked in the head?" Mac clarified. The situation didn't appeal to him at all. With his busted ribs it would be pure hell to get out of the building if Jack had a bad concussion and couldn't walk well.

"Yeah, arm's broken, too."

Mac closed his eyes for a moment and tried to take as deep breath as his injuries allowed. "Think you can walk?"

"Think so," Jack nodded before grimacing and lifting his uninjured hand to the side of his head.

"Okay, well, let's get you up, shall we?" Mac tried to smile but he was in too much pain to actually pull of a convincing smile. "This is probably gonna suck."

By the time they both were on their feet, Jack wasn't the only one who was struggling to stay on his feet. Mac had underestimated the toll Jack's weight had on his already injured ribs, and he was finding it hard to breathe. A moment later his knees buckled but he managed to reach his arm out for the wall and use it to support them.

"Jack, you alright?" Mac wheezed out. His face contorted with pain when Jack shifted in his grasp.

"Yeah, 'm good."

Mac gave almost an imperceptible nod as he gathered the remaining of his energy for their trip outside and back to the others. "Okay then, let's go."

* * *

Bozer was pacing back and forth outside the van, trying to keep his frustration at bay. He felt like the backup was taking too much time in getting ready. The backup had arrived ten minutes ago and they were gearing up at the moment and going through the plan for one last time. Apparently they were going to split into two groups to cover more ground quickly. The faster they found Mac and Jack, the better.

He just didn't understand why the mission had gone wrong. They had had every single detail planned out. What if Mac and Jack had gotten captured or worse? They didn't know much about the group that had obtained the bioweapon and it was a bit unnerving. What if the bioweapon had just been a decoy or something and they had walked straight into a trap?

"Stop thinking so loud," Riley came over to him from where she had been organizing everything with the agents. "I'm sure Mac and Jack are fine."

Bozer stopped and glanced at the building where Mac and Jack supposedly still were in. "If they were fine, wouldn't they be out already?"

Riley shrugged. Truth to be told, she was feeling kind of nervous. They had been through some tight spots before but this time they had no way of contacting each other. Jack's comms had stopped working as soon as he had gone into the building.

"They're gonna go in in a minute," she told Bozer. "I'm gonna get everything set up in the van."

"Yeah," Bozer nodded as he watched the team leader give instructions to the other agents. "I'm coming with you."

* * *

The pain was really messing with Mac's head at the moment. He had a hard time finding a way out of the building and the fact that the whole building was still dark didn't help at all. He hadn't even thought about taking a flashlight with him.

Jack's condition was also worsening steadily. He was barely conscious anymore and every once in a while he would stumble over his own feet which made Mac's job at staying upright very hard.

Mac's breathing was coming out in short bursts and he just didn't seem to get enough air into his lungs. If they didn't find a way out soon, he was bound to collapse. If that happened, their chances of getting out without additional help were slim.

"Ja-... Jack, I need you to-..." Mac's eyes squeezed shut when pain shot through his ribs. "I can't do this-... alone."

"Jus' leave me," Jack managed to gather up enough energy to force the words out of his mouth. Even though he barely knew what was going on around him and his brain wasn't functioning properly, he knew Mac was his first priority.

Mac grimaced as the older man stumbled once more. The only thing that kept them upright at this point was Mac's willpower. He knew Jack needed medical attention and fast, and he sure as hell wasn't going to stop before his partner was in good hands - his own injuries be damned. He wasn't going to be the one to tell Jack's sister he was the reason Jack hadn't made it back home.

"No," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Not leaving-... you." He thought they had had been through this subject multiple times in the past but apparently both of them were too hard headed to listen to the other.

Silence fell over them again. They just didn't have the energy to talk anymore. At that point on they only concentrated on getting one step after another.

Some time passed in silence but Mac was soon startled by voices coming from somewhere close by. His shoulders sagged when he realized the guards were catching up to them. Neither of them was in any condition to fight back or do much anything if the men attacked them. He could only hope that Riley and Bozer had gotten out with the bioweapon and were safe.

As the shouting grew louder and the footsteps came closer, the last of Mac's strength ran out. His knees buckled and this time he couldn't stop himself from falling. He didn't let go of Jack though, he couldn't. "I'm sorry, Jack..."

"I found them!" a voice shouted. "They're here!"

"I'm sorry," Mac shook his head weakly. His grip on Jack slipped as his vision blurred. Suddenly the voices seemed to be somewhere far away.

Multiple flashlights were shone at them. "We need a medic in here!" another voice shouted.

Someone caught Mac when he felt himself tip to the side. "It's okay, you're both safe now." Mac's eyes slid shut when he felt himself slowly lose grip on consciousness.

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

His chest constricted as panic welled inside of him. There were loud noises around him but the only sound he was aware of was the wheezing sound of his breath as he struggled to get oxygen into his lungs. He couldn't move, something was pinning his arms and legs to down.

"Hold him still!" a sharp voice barked.

Mac's eyes flew open at the order but he was blinded by lights from above. He looked around frantically and he noticed several figures around him. Something cool was applied to the right side of his chest but he couldn't tell what it was.

"This is gonna hurt so keep him still, we don't want him moving around too much during the procedure," the same voice from earlier stated sternly.

Before Mac could understand what the man meant, something sharp was jabbed into his chest. A pained noise escaped his lips but it sounded distorted due to the wheezing.

The pressure released all of a sudden and he could finally breathe. He immediately drew as much air into his lungs as was possible. A hand landed on his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

"Easy, MacGyver, take slow, steady breaths," a new voice, this one female, instructed.

Gradually Mac's breathing evened out and his vision cleared. Now there were only two people at his bedside, although he was sure there had been others present. Mac shifted slightly to get a look at the person standing on the left side of his bed but he stopped when white-hot pain flashed through his ribs.

"Yeah, moving around might not be too wise. You've got three broken ribs and several bruised ones," the man standing on the left side of the bed said. Mac soon recognized him as the new doctor that had been hired a month ago. He hoped the man was not his doctor. The man might have been good at him job but his bedside manner sucked.

Mac frowned and took off his oxygen mask. "What just happened?" His voice was hoarse and the wheezing wasn't completely gone but he was just happy to be breathing again.

"Minor pneumothorax," the doctor shrugged. "It's probably not going to cause problems anymore but we're going to keep you in observation for a day or two."

The blond's eyes widened. He was pretty sure pneumothorax meant he had just experienced collapsed lung first hand. "Isn't that-..."

"Dangerous? If left untreated, yes, but I took care of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to tend to. Nurse Claire here will answer all your questions," the man flashed him a bright smile before leaving the room.

Mac dropped his head back to the pillow and glanced at the nurse who was currently checking his vitals.

"Your OSAT levels are still a little low, put the oxygen mask back on, okay hon?" the nurse, Claire, turned to look at him and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Hank is a good doctor, you know."

Mac didn't respond to that right away but he put the oxygen mask back on. He had known Claire for a couple of years and she was a really sweet woman. She had treated him countless of times for anything ranging from flu to gunshot wounds. She was actually one of the nurses Mac really liked and got along with.

"Well at least he's not as grumpy as Bones," Mac gave her a half-hearted smile.

Claire paused for a moment, "That character from Star Trek, right?"

"Yeah," Mac replied but he quickly grew sober. "How's Jack?"

"He's got himself a nice concussion. He's been in and out of consciousness for the past twelve hours but he woke up around an hour ago and was mostly coherent. Hank is confident he's going to make a full recovery."

"Anything else?"

"His left arm is broken but he shouldn't need a surgery if he keeps it immobile and doesn't pull any stupid stunts," Claire shrugged. "I think Riley's with him at the moment. I sent Bozer home to get some rest but he should be back in a couple of hours."

Mac gave her a nod but he was starting to feel tired. A moment later he yawned and it didn't escape Claire's eyes. "Rest, Mac. We'll have more than enough time to talk over the next couple of days."

"Not gonna stay here that long," Mac hummed as his eyes slid shut.

Claire shook her head fondly. She made a mental note to swing by Jack's room to give him an update on Mac's condition. She hadn't told it to Mac but Jack had been pestering the entire staff endlessly because he hadn't been allowed to see him yet.

* * *

Jack hadn't decided if he was feeling better or worse than he had been a day ago when he had woken up and been coherent enough to understand what was going on around him. Physically he was feeling much better, the light sensitivity wasn't nearly as bad anymore and he didn't feel like throwing up every time he opened his eyes. He was, however, growing extremely frustrated and agitated because he had been ordered to stay in bed and he still hadn't been able to see his partner. Occasional updates on Mac's condition weren't very reassuring to him, especially not after he had been informed of the collapsed lung and the kid waking up because of nightmares more often than not.

It was ten in the morning at the moment and Riley was still sleeping on the recliner next to his bed with a blanket over her. Jack had quickly found out he and Mac had caused the two other members of the team quite the scare by going off the radar completely. Matty hadn't been too happy about the way the mission had turned out either and she had a nice long debriefing waiting for them when they were deemed well enough to leave the medical department.

Mac and he would both have to stay under observation for at least another day which he was not too keen on. Concussions weren't anything new to him and he knew the restrictions that came with it and all the signs to look out for so there was no reason to waste valuable resources on him while he could take care of himself.

"Still planning on escaping?" Claire questioned as she came into the room.

Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked at the nurse who had an unnerving smile on her face. He knew that look, nothing good ever came from it. He had seen the look too many times on his teammates faces when they had something planned. "Maybe," Jack replied. "Why are you here, I thought you had a break?"

"I already ate," Claire shrugged. "I thought you might want to go on a little trip."

Jack folded his arms, careful not to jostle his broken arm. "Where exactly do you plan on taking me?"

The young nurse gave him a secretive smile as she went to grab the wheelchair that was in the corner of the room. "Trust me, it'll at least make your boring day a little more exciting."

Jack sighed. Claire knew how to capture his curiosity. "Okay, I'm coming," he complied. "But if this gets me in trouble, I'm blaming you."

"Sure, whatever you say, honeybun."

"What?" Jack sputtered. "Who you calling honeybun?"

Claire let out a laugh as she parked the wheelchair next to the bed. "Get in."

The agent groaned. He felt like Claire had been hanging around with Mac and Bozer way too much lately. He swore the woman was usually much more... reserved. "Just don't call me that again."

"Sure thing, Wyatt."

At that point Jack just gave up. He was going to have a strict conversation with the two younger men later since he was sure they somehow had their hands in on this.

As soons as the agent was sitting in the wheelchair, they were on the move and out of the door. Jack hoped Riley wouldn't be too pissed off when she woke up and realized he wasn't there anymore.

"Okay, here we are," Claire stopped in front of the room next to Jack's.

"Uh...what?" he frowned. Then it clicked. "Isn't this Mac's room?"

"Yep, it is," the nurse nodded.

Jack didn't know what to think. He had thought he would actually need to escape to be able to see his partner but it seemed like Claire had had everything planned out already. "Thanks, Claire."

"Just make sure he stops blaming himself for what happened. He needs to get some proper sleep but that's not going to happen because of the nightmares."

* * *

Mac opened his eyes when he heard someone come into the room. Was Bozer back already? It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes since he had left to get some spare clothes for him but he would have gone home to get them since he didn't have any at work.

"How are you feeling, kid?"

"Jack," Mac concluded when he heard his partner's voice and turned his head to look at the older man who was heading to the chair next to Mac's bed. There was certain carefulness in Jack's movements so Mac guessed he had some problems with his balance. "How's your head?"

"My head's just fine," Jack told him as he sat down, "You didn't answer my question." He had opted to leave the wheelchair outside the room so the younger man wouldn't find any additional reasons to wrongfully blame himself.

Mac gave him a small shrug. "I'm fine."

Jack scoffed, "Don't give me that bullshit. I know exact the extent of your injuries, and I know for a fact you ain't fine."

Mac got slightly annoyed. It might have something to do with him not sleeping properly but he didn't have the energy to keep himself under complete control. "Well why did you ask if you already know the answer?"

Jack took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to lose his temper with Mac now since the younger man seemed to be on the edge already. He wondered just how much the younger man had slept.

"I heard you're not sleeping well," he stated. "I have a feeling it's because you blame yourself from what happened."

Mac didn't acknowledge his words and just stared at the ceiling.

"You've got to stop doing that, buddy. These things happen and sometimes we get hurt but it's a part of the job."

"Like you're one to talk," Mac gave the older man a sharp look.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe not but it's still the truth. Ask anyone; Bozer, Matty, Riley. They'll tell you the same thing."

Mac relaxed a little. He knew Jack was telling the truth but if he had been more careful and avoided being noticed, maybe the mission would have gone according to the plan and no one would have gotten hurt. It was just that everytime he tried to sleep, he would be thrown back into the dark hallway but instead of him, Jack was the subject of the beating. It made him think of all the ways the mission could have gone wrong, of all the ways his teammates could have been hurt.

"I just don't like seeing you guys get hurt," Mac admitted as he turned to look at Jack. "I'm not exactly blaming myself for what happened but for what could have happen."

Jack nodded slowly, they were finally making progress. He leaned forward in the chair. "That's why we don't think about those 'what if's," he replied. "We both got hurt but we got the bioweapon and the information we were after. I think that counts as a win, too."

Mac shrugged. "I guess."

"Think you can sleep now?" the older agent asked.

"Maybe." Truth to be told, the blond was starting to feel very tired. The combination of the drugs and restless sleep was finally catching up to him.

"Go to sleep, kid," Jack told him, "I'll make sure you won't have any nightmares." His head was slowly starting to hurt and he was starting to feel tired himself but nothing would stop him from making sure his partner got to rest a little while without any past incidents rearing their ugly heads in his dreams.

When Claire walked into the room five minutes later to check on the two patients, she found them both sleeping, Mac sleeping on the bed with Jack's hand near his head while Jack slept on the chair. The nurse knew she should wake Jack up and tell him to get back to his room to sleep but she hoped his presence would help Mac get some real rest.

Bozer came into the room a moment later with a bag full of spare clothes for Mac. "Okay, I'm pretty sure..." he began but Claire motioned for him to stay quiet before pointing at the two men.

"Oh," Bozer stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at his teammates for a minute before turning to look at the nurse next to him. "I wonder..."

"We need a picture of this," Riley stated from behind him which made Bozer jump. Claire covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laugh as he glared at her.

"If I find a single photo of this moment, I'll make sure you can't take pictures ever again," Jack growled. Apparently the commotion had woken him up from his light slumber.

Riley took the picture anyway and disappeared from the room immediately with Claire right behind her. Bozer stayed behind to look at the older man who was glaring back at him.

"I-...uh..spare clothes," he pointed at the bag before dropping it to the ground and leaving the room.

"I really work with children, don't I?" Jack grumbled before settling down to get some more rest.

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jack, no!" Bozer stormed into the living room and went to stand in front of Jack, who was reaching for the remote control that lay on the table just out of his reach. The younger man crossed his arms and gave the agent a glare. "What did I tell you about watching TV?"

Jack glared right back at Bozer but didn't cross his arms like he had wanted since his left hand was in a cast and it was aching. "I'm gonna pry that remote control out of your cold, dead fingers if that's what it takes. You can't stop me from watching TV," he stated, his voice dark.

Bozer didn't look impressed. "Wanna bet? Last time you tried to get up from that sofa without a warning, you ended up half unconscious on the floor," he retorted. "The doctor's orders were clear, you're not going to spend time watching any kind of LCD screen for the next few days while you recover."

The older man huffed and slumped back down onto the sofa. "I have had my fair share of concussions and I do, in fact, know how they're treated. I have watched TV before so what makes this time any different?"

"I would say he's been ignoring the order every other time, too," Riley piped in as she came into the living room. Jack made a face at her but she promptly ignored him. "And, by watching TV, you would only succeed at making your headache worse, and waking Mac up. You know how little sleep he's been getting these past few days."

"Yeah, I know," Jack sighed, the look in his eyes softening as he glanced at the other sofa where a certain blond was buried under what looked like four blankets. "But when I get bored and start makin' your life a living hell, I'm not gonna be held responsible."

"Whatever you say, Jack," Bozer rolled his eyes before turning around and grabbing the remote. "I'm hiding this from you in case you still decide to ignore the doctor's orders. Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"Great," Jack mumbled as he stared at the ceiling. It wasn't like he was that nauseous or lightheaded anymore. It had been three days since he had tried to foolishly stand up quickly and ended up sprawled on the floor. He had learned from his mistake. He had also taken the prescribed meds as told and could mostly keep his food down. Mac was the one he was more worried about.

"You should rest, too," Riley pointed out as she sat on the sofa at Jack's feet. The older agent could tell she was still worried about Mac and him but he couldn't really blame her. Mac and he had caused the two other members of the team quite the scare just six days prior when their mission had gone a little sideways.

* * *

Jack was still awake when Mac moaned, signaling his return to the land of the living. When Riley and Bozer's voices and laughter reached him, he carefully threw his feet to the ground and sat up. Mac sounded like he was not having a good time waking up, and Jack sure as hell wasn't about to let his partner suffer in the clutches of nightmares or bad memories if he had a choice.

He cursed his concussion when the pounding in his head increased after sitting up. Jack closed his eyes and breathed deeply a few times to get the pounding to subside a little. Another distressed sound from Mac's direction drove Jack to his feet even though he would have preferably used a while longer to get acquainted with the headache to avoid unpleasant surprises. As he walked over to the younger man, he cradled his right arm close to his chest.

"Hey, kid, you awake?" Jack asked, although he was quite sure the other man was still asleep. Mac had one of the blankets in a vice-like grip and there was a slight sheen of sweat glistering on his face. Jack reckoned the blond was trapped in some sort of nightmare but before he could do anything about it, Mac's eyes opened and he shot up with a gasp.

"Whoa, take it easy, bro," Jack moved to push Mac down onto his back when the younger man's face contorted in pain. Mac's hands were wrapped around his midsection to try to ease the pain he felt. "You're good. It was all just a dream, not a thing more," Jack attempted to comfort him. He had never been too good at consoling or comforting other people but he had made a promise to himself to at least try.

Mac grimaced as he lay back down, his sore muscles and cracked ribs protesting earnestly. He rubbed a hand over his face in an attempt to somewhat get rid of the sleepy feeling that was still lingering around. "How long was I asleep for?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

Jack rolled his eyes. It was typical for Mac to try to avoid the subject at hand - the kid had been waking up to nightmares every time expect once after their mission from hell. Jack knew it couldn't go on for long and he suspected Mac was aware of it, too, but he decided to postpone the talk at least until they could get some food into the blond. He swore the kid was too damn skinny. "You were out at four, so about three hours," Jack told him. "How's the pain?" He got a shrug that was accompanied by a grimace as a reply.

A deep sigh left the older agent's lips. "We've talked about this, Mac. Don't shut us out now. Your ribs troubling you?"

Mac avoided his gaze but Jack noticed his shoulders slump in defeat. "Yeah, a little," the young man admitted. "You think I could get up and use the bathroom alone without Bozer and Riley going all mother hen at me? I could really use a shower." The pleading look he was giving Jack made him smirk.

"How about I make you a deal," Jack stated seriously. The pleading look on Mac's face immediately changed to a more uncertain one. "I'll make sure you get your shower, if you promise to take your meds after that without a protest."

To Jack's dismay, the younger man actually appeared to be considering it. It told him just how stubborn Mac was. Okay, he wasn't too keen on taking pain medication either, but he knew when it was time to give in. It just wasn't worth it to be in pain.

Finally, after a minute or two, Mac nodded. "Good luck making sure those two won't ruin the deal," he grinned. He gently swung his feet off the sofa and sat up. It had been a long time since a mission had ended this badly. Matty had forced the both of them to take a two months off to properly recuperate from their injuries. Jack and he had been too out of it to protest back then but Mac guessed it wasn't too bad. They had been working quite many missions in the past four to five weeks and it had begun to show.

* * *

Bozer had a thoughtful look on his face as he watched Jack. It was way past midnight already but the two of them were still up. Riley had gone home a couple of hours prior to get some rest and Mac had been out like a light ever since he had taken his pain meds after dinner - this time without any nightmares.

"Spit it out, Bozer," Jack grunted as he leaned back on the sofa as he continued watching an old western movie from the TV. Something had to be really bothering the younger man if he had not even mentioned anything about Jack breaking the doctor's orders by watching the movie. "What's going on inside that thick noggin' of yours?"

Bozer pursed his lips. "It's weird," he said as he inspected the beer bottle in his hands like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Before I knew what you guys really did, I used to suspect something was wrong when Mac came home with all those injuries."

Jack waited for Bozer to continue but when the man didn't, he shut the TV and turned to look at him. "Boze?"

"I just don't understand how you deal with all of this," Bozer glanced at the older man briefly. "When the others found you-..."

"It's a part of the job," Jack shrugged. "We're aware of the risks we take."

"But is it worth it?"

The older agent frowned. He had thought about the same question many times over the years, especially when someone got hurt on a mission. The first time Mac and he had been seriously hurt, he had very nearly quit the job. If it wasn't for Mac, he would have. Mac had, however, managed to change his mind by reminding him of why they had taken the job in the first place: to make the world a little better place for everyone else. He dealt with all the crap so his sister's children could grow up without having to be scared.

"I like to think so," Jack nodded.

 **FIN**


End file.
